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What?

The project will first ensure a selected volunteer receives specialized training, including proper educational materials, in STD prevention and treatment. Once prepared, this specialist will develop a program consisting of orientation and informational workshops with other Coprodeli Health Program staff. The program will be implemented by the specialist as part of Coprodeli’s medical outreach campaigns in Cañete and Chincha provinces and during specially scheduled community sessions.

In addition to delivering these workshops, the specialist will be working in tandem with the medical campaign’s physicians to identify patients suffering from STDs. While all exams will be completed by the physicians, the STD specialist will perform intake tasks to gather personal information and assist in giving medication and other proper treatment to affected patients. Finally, when a patient is diagnosed with a severe STD-related condition, the specialist will refer the individual to other medical facilities and follow up to ensure that person receives treatment.

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Why?

Due to cultural norms, STDs and safe sex practices are rarely discussed in Peruvian communities. As a result, many people have no information whatsoever of the risks of unprotected sex, and multiple partners or how to identify the common symptoms of STDs. Coprodeli’s efforts in Chincha and Cañete provinces have revealed that some residents, particularly young women and teenage girls, didn’t know why or how they had contracted various STDs such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea or that their symptoms were abnormal and required treatment. Since the 2007 earthquake, limited health care resources in the provinces’ shantytowns have increased the likelihood of affected individuals not seeking a doctor for STD treatment, compounding the public health issue of growing transmission rates.

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How?

A selected volunteer will complete basic health promotion and outreach training and will then be invited by Coprodeli Health & Humanitarian Aid Program Staff to continue with specialized training in STD prevention and treatment. Additional training will occur in the first month of the project, as will development of informational materials for use during orientations, community sessions and campaigns. Following additional training, the specialist will join Coprodeli's medical outreach campaigns to work directly with individual beneficiaries attending the campaign, and to hold informational sessions for communities at campaign sites.

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History of San Pedro Medical Center

Chincha Province shares a rich cultural, social and economic history with other parts of Peru, dating from the Inca civilization. The Paracas, Nazca and Chincha cultures all influence life in this area and contributing to the regions' sense of national pride. In Chincha, 94.4% of all homes were destroyed or damaged by the 2007 earthquake, as well as schools, hospitals, community centers and other public services. Pre-existing conditions were compounded in the aftermath of the earthquake; the average income for many families in these areas is approximately $US 100 per month, while the monthly cost of living to meet basic needs is $US 150.

In Chincha, Coprodeli will build 211 homes in the San Pedro Urban Center. This center will be equipped with a school to serve 650 students, a medical center that will be able to treat 25,080 individuals directly each year, and a youth outreach center that will attend to the needs of some of the most vulnerable children in the area.

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Average household income

100

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Community Population: 13,011

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Climate

From January to April, temperatures average 30°C (86.4°F) during the day. Between May and December, the sun is generally covered by clouds, resulting in extreme humidity, dampness and fog, with temperatures dropping to 11°C (41.8°F) during the day, and even lower at night.

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Challenges facing San Pedro Medical Center

Throughout Chincha and Cañete provinces, nearly half the population lives in conditions of poverty, and a further 25% of these families face extreme poverty. The limited public services that were available prior to the earthquake, were destroyed, and have not been reinitiated. Access to health care, education, child protection, housing and employment opportunities are all critical needs that must be addressed to enable the provinces' residents to lead dignified lives.

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Main Occupations

Agricultural work and fishing are the most common occupations in Chincha Province. Prior to the earthquake, the unemployment rate for men was 11.9%, while for women it was 13.3%. After the earthquake, the rate of unemployment for women increased to 16.2%, while that for women lept to 26.1%.

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Families living below poverty line

47

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